


See You Tomorrow, Choi Junhong

by nielmato



Category: B.A.P
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drama, Friendship, Gen, Hacking, Platonic Relationships, Suspense, Youth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-03-08 04:06:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13450194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nielmato/pseuds/nielmato
Summary: Jung Daehyun, a struggling 2nd-year music college student, finally realizes the fruit of relentlessly working part-time in the form of a second-hand Apple iPhone 4S, the trendiest smartphone at that time. The day he got his phone, his childhood friend and fellow resident in his apartment building, Yoo Youngjae, barged in unexpectedly with a pot of ramyeon to celebrate. It was supposed to be a normal night with snacks and K-dramas, but that was before the phone's latest artificial intelligence technology somewhat went haywire.What was actually going on, and how will the two young men handle the crisis?





	1. Finally, The Day Has Come

The young man placed a small, sleek, white box on the edge of a cramped coffee table, settling it between a container of kimchi and a stack of spicy instant noodles. It was the only flat surface remaining in his tiny studio apartment, as his bed was full of unfolded clothes and his desk were already covered in textbooks and musical scores. He wasn’t going to settle for the dusty and poorly tiled floors either, so the coffee table was his only option. That box was an embodiment of all the extra hours he had spent working as a supermarket cashier and a cafe barista for almost a whole year, so there was no way he was going to let it soiled with even a single speck of dust.

With a huge grin on his face and hands on his hips, he brought out his chest with pride and gave himself a quick nod of acknowledgment. He never thought that this day would finally come. 

Then, he took a deep breath and said, “Jung Daehyun! Finally… Finally! After all that hard work, all those late night shifts and endurance against that nasty boss… You finally got the latest, brand new, unparalleled, unrivaled, iP—“

**_*BANG! BANG! BANG!*_ **

“Oi, Daehyun-ah!! Open up, quick!” A muffled scream pierced through the room’s thin wooden door, and just by the voice alone, Daehyun knew exactly who it was. Despite feeling quite reluctant to entertain the person, he did get up from the floor cushion before opening the door. 

“You jerk, what time do you think is it? And what the heck is that?” He grunted at the sight of his childhood friend and fellow resident of this run-down student apartment, Yoo Youngjae. 

“Don’t be dumb, of course, it’s a ramyeon pot. Come on, just move! It’s damn hot!” The young man in a pair of red polka-dot boxers, shriveled hair and black-rimmed reading glasses barged his way in towards the coffee table. He then shouted again, “Dude, why do you have so much stuff on here today! It’s blocking the way!”

“Eish, okay, okay! Patience, I just haven’t cleaned u— AAH, DON’T TOUCH THAT BOX!!” The 21-year old boy screamed even louder and immediately pounced towards the small white box, protecting it from Youngjae’s hands that were about to clear the table on his own by randomly pushing items to the floor. With the box now safely secured on one hand, his other hand then swiftly grabbed a few bags of snacks and condiments, before placing them in the incredibly tiny kitchen pantry right behind him. Meanwhile, Youngjae quickly grabbed a stack of paper that was laying on the floor and used it as a placemat for his pot, in which trails of hot steam were escaping through the lid. 

“Bro, that’s my final assignment for ‘The History of Music’! How can you use that for a placemat?!” The owner of the studio snapped at his uninvited guest.

“Well we’ve passed that subject together, right? Don’t sweat it, buddy. And by the way, that box on your hand… I’ve seen it before. Is that an iPhone??” 

“Hoho, you actually noticed. Yes, it is. It is 'the' iPhone.”

“Wha— You mean it’s that fancy American phone that only rich-ass kids in our university use?! And the perpetually broke Jung Daehyun now has it? How?!” Youngjae gasped in disbelief.

The 2nd year music college student gave a smug look on his face and replied, “I’ll ignore that first bit about being broke, but well, my friend, I didn’t clock in those extra hours for nothing. You know I’ve always wanted them anyway, so I saved up my salary for it. Also, what ramyeon did you cook this time?”

“Ah, true. You did talk a lot about like you’re the marketing person of that gadget. By the way, this is that brand new seafood ramyeon from our favorite brand, topped with cheese, scallions, and sausage. Didn’t you tell me yesterday you wanted to try them?” Youngjae responded and lifted up the lid. A pungent smell of the thick, MSG-loaded seafood broth wafted across the room, accompanied with a faint aroma of the typical convenience store-bought cheese. It was an aroma no stranger to penniless college students, especially when the next payday was nowhere in sight.

“Wah, this is the real deal. Should we eat this while watching Reply 1997? Episode 4 is going to start soon.”

“Sure. Is your TV working still working fine? Mine is totally busted, the landlord didn’t even bother with it even if I told him. Sheesh, that old man.” The other 2nd-year music college student grunted, before taking a big bite of the chewy noodles.

Daehyun also took a big bite and replied, “Yup, it takes a long time to turn on but otherwise it’s fine. Alright, let me do that right now, actually.”

After finishing his bite, he grabbed a small, worn-out remote control and pressed the power button on. 10 seconds passed, only a black screen showed up. 20 seconds in, still a black screen. 60 seconds in… nothing. Absolutely nothing. 

“…Yo, that’s way too long. Are you it’s still working?” Youngjae scoffed. 

“Trust me, it does! I watched Infinity Challenge the other day, and it works! You just have to be patient.”

“Heh, I believe you.”

“Please do, just give it a couple of minutes now. In the meantime, do you want to see this new iPhone 4S instead? It’s second-hand, but the store owner ahjussi told me it should work well. Hohoho.” Daehyun snickered and placed the box back on the table. He carefully opened the plastic cover and the box afterward, revealing a sleek, jet-black touchscreen phone inside. Although the popularity of these so-called ‘smartphones’ was on the rise, not a lot of people could afford it, especially those from foreign brands. Only the rich and fortunate could, and for normal college students like Jung Daehyun, even a second-hand gadget already cost him a fortune. 

“Wow… This looks amazing, I’ve never seen anything like it! Can you turn it on right away?” Youngjae asked, his dark chocolate eyes beaming with excitement.

“Yeah, the owner charged it for me before I picked it up earlier. He even helped me with the sim card and data plans too, he’s really nice!” Daehyun replied, before scanning the four corners of the phone for the power button. “Hold on, I forgot where the on button is…”

“Isn’t it this one here?” 

“Ah, you’re right. The owner said I just have to hold it, and… Voila!”

**_*BZZT!* *BZZT!*_ **

Loud static noises suddenly came up, and the origin was none other than the old, bulky television that the boys almost forgot about. It started up at the same time with the phone, startling the two.

“Whoah, that surprised me. Daehyun-ah, why is it so loud?”

“I don’t know, I think the volume sometimes screws up when I turn it on. Wait a sec, let me turn it down…”

As Daehyun fiddled with his remote control, a blurry footage of a female news reporter in a studio started to slowly show up, reporting one of the breaking news of that night:

_“…leader…hacker group Zelos…missing from their alleged headquarters in Dobong-gu… Police are trying to find members of this group who has reportedly hacked hundreds of computers and smartphones, stealing personal information and leaving threats behind…”_

“They’re still not caught yet? It’s already been more than a year, damn.” Youngjae remarked, followed by a shrug from Daehyun. 

“Not sure, I haven’t heard news about them in a while so I assumed the police did something already. Anyways, can you change it to channel 21? I have to tweak some of the phone’s settings real quick.”

“Sure.” 

_“Latest victims of the group’s have reported that second-h—“_

“—And… Done! Now that function should work.” Daehyun gave a satisfied smile as his fingers pressed a few virtual buttons on the screen. 

“Hmm? What did you do?” Youngjae glanced over his friend’s shoulders, curious of what’s on the small but highly advanced device. 

“Hoho, you wait and see. Let me just press this button over here and… Hello, Siri!”

_“Nice to meet you, Daehyun-nim. What can I help you with?”_ A flat, robotic female voice came out from the phone, but it was replying to Daehyun as if it was holding a normal conversation. Before this version of the gadget came out, being able to talk with any form of technology was definitely not the norm, let alone a programmed A.I. (artificial intelligence) acting as a personal assistant on the palm of your hands. 

“Whoa, that Siri thing actually talks, and it even knows your name! It’s just like in the ads! What the heck?!” Youngjae gasped in surprise, his mouth almost going agape. 

“Hohoho, it’s cool, right? Let me try talking to it again. Siri, can you tell me the weather?”

_“It is currently 17 degrees in Mapo-gu. Does not seem like it will rain tonight.”_

Youngjae clapped his hands at the wonder of this artificial intelligence and said, “Whoa, that’s awesome! Let me try it too! Siri, what’s the weather tomorrow in Denpasar, Bali?”

_“It is currently 25 degrees in Denpasar.”_

“Denpasar? That’s so random.”

“I’ve been watching travel programmes lately, that’s why. Siri’s amazing though, she even knows the weather in a foreign country.” 

Daehyun replied, “Right? Apparently, you can also ask her to search for places near you, directions, and even random things like asking her out or the likes. Actually, let me just try for the heck of it. Siri, do you want to be my girlfriend?”

_“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I cannot do that.”_

“Pfft, even a software doesn't want to be with you. You poor, lonely soul, Jung Daehyun. Hahaha!” Youngjae mocked his best friend, lightly patting his head.

Daehyun swatted his friend’s hand away and responded, “Shut up you jerk. Let me try again, with more emotions this time. My cute and adorable Siri, will you date me?”

_"…”_

“Siri?”

_“…”_

“Siri, are you there?”

_“…”_

“Huh? Why isn’t it responding?” Daehyun asked, puzzled at his new phone. 

Youngjae laughed out loud and powerfully slapped his friend’s shoulders, “AHAHA! She’s really not interested in you, buddy. Give it up! AHAHA!” 

“That hurts, you filthy thing! The screen just froze for a bit, that’s all!” Daehyun yelled angrily and elbowed the uninvited guest, which he quickly evaded by sliding back to the opposite direction. 

“Daehyun-ah, you almost hit my face! Apologise right now for attempting to destroy this natural beauty!” Youngjae yelled back, delivering a light kick straight to his back. However, Daehyun didn’t flinch and resumed with fiddling with the phone instead.

“Aish, now none of the buttons are working! Geez, what luck…”

“That’s why I told you don’t buy second-hand electronics! You haven’t learned your lesson from your previous laptop that almost exploded, haven’t you? Idiot.” The young man in red boxers scolded, leading out a long sigh afterward.

“Oi, that was like what, 5 years ago? Besides, that was just one time, and it was something I got for free.” Daehyun retorted while furiously trying to press every single button, before continuing, “It won’t happen this time, I trust that ahjussi owner. People have only been saying good things about him, so… Aish, why is this still n—“

**_*Beep!*_ **

“Oh? Hold on… Oh, it’s back! Let me try using Siri again. Hello, Siri!” Daehyun called out enthusiastically.

_“Hello there…”_ The A.I. responded dejectedly, despite still having the exact same flat and robotic voice like earlier. 

“Dude, why does the A.I. lady sound so sad? Isn’t she supposed to be a programmed software?” Youngjae frowned and scratched the back of his neck.

Daehyun shrugged and replied, “No idea, but I think it might be part of one of its programmed answers. Actually, let me try talking to her once more. Siri, are you okay?” 

_“…No, I’m not okay, Daehyun-nim. I want to die.”_

“…?!” The two gasped in unison, unable to comprehend what they just heard. That was definitely not from the drama playing in the background, which was showing a scene of high school students chatting together happily at the moment. The mood was light, their faces were bright, vaguely mirroring what was happening beyond the screen only afew minutes ago. 

“Uhh, that’s really weird… Maybe try restarting your phone again so it goes back to normal?” Youngjae suggested, and took a big gulp of ramyeon soup out of nervousness.

“U-uh, yeah, let me do that.” Daehyun agreed, but as he held down his finger on the power button, ‘Siri’ blocked him from doing so.

" _Daehyun-nim, do not try to turn the phone off. It will not work. Also, if you do not answer me in 60 seconds, this phone will self-destruct immediately and I will disclose all your personal information online.”_

“What personal information??” 

  _“I know everything about you, Daehyun-nim. Your birth name is Jung Daehyun. You were born on the 23rd of June, 1993, Gwangju. Your current registered address is #167-103, Yeoreum Student Apartments, Yeomni-dong, Mapo-gu, Mapo-gu, Seoul. I know your debit card number as well, and the amount of money in your savings account. I also have access to your photos and private files as well.”_

“The heck?! That can’t be right!”

_“The countdown will begin now. 60…59…58…57…”_

“Holy crap, it’s actually counting down?! Youngjae-ah, what should I do?? What should I do?” Daehyun began screaming in panic and dropped the phone to the ground, discarding of whatever feelings of affection he had towards it in the beginning. His breathing then became erratic, his hands trembling uncontrollably, and his mind completely blank.

“Seriously, what the heck should I do??” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, thank you for reading! I'm currently on my summer break, so I thought it'll be great if I can spontaneously write a story or two. This is my first time writing a B.A.P fic, and I hope I can write more of them because they've become my ult group last year. Their songs are amazing hshshs I love them so much
> 
> Anyways, the next part will be up in a bit, please tune in for more! Also, do say hello to me on twitter @nielmato, I'm looking for BAP mutuals there that I can talk to!
> 
> 'Till then, adieu~


	2. I Just Wanted to Be Better

_“…53…52…51…”_

Despite all that panicking, the countdown still continued on— and Daehyun still didn’t know what to do.

However, on the other hand, the uninvited guest was much calmer than him. As someone who has known him for more than 15 years, Youngjae knew exactly his childhood friend does not handle unexpected situations like this well. To be honest, he wasn’t exactly any better too, but the young man decided to swallow his own fear and calmly think about their current circumstances.

He then began mumbling to himself, “Okay, that software is somehow threatening Daehyunnie, and it’s going to explode and release his personal information if he doesn’t answer… Huh, now that I’ve said it out loud, why does the scenario seem eerily familiar?”

_“…reportedly hacked hundreds of computers and smartphones, stealing personal information and leaving threats behind…”_

“Wait a second… Can it be…”

_“…46…45…44…”_

“AH!” Youngjae exclaimed, jolting up from his seat. He then immediately slapped his friend’s arms and said, “Dude, your phone, it’s probably hacked by that hacker group that was on the news earlier!”

“What are you saying…? But I just bought it though, how could they hack it?” Daehyun replied, a puzzled look still plastered on his face since the countdown began.

_“…40…39…38…”_

“Well, I can’t be exactly sure, but… You didn’t exactly buy a brand new phone though. It’s second hand, and who knows who this phone belonged to previously. It might’ve been one of theirs, or even if it’s not, it could’ve been hacked previously. I think I’ve read somewhere that it’s easier to hack a device that’s been attacked before, and this might be the case.” Youngjae explained calmly.

_“…33…32…31…”_

Daehyun answered with his lips quivering in fear, “But… but… The ahjussi said that this actually belonged to his sister around 3 months ago, and there was nothing wrong with the phone at all. She was trying to let it go because she thought it was too difficult to use for her… And he was willing to give me a student discount too, so…”

Youngjae then interjected, “Daehyun-ah, listen to me. In that case, there’s a possibility that the owner had been lying to you. That sister of his probably intended to sell off the phone at a price you can afford because she possibly wants to get rid off a previously tampered phone. Come to think of it, Zelos has been particularly going rampant in the couple of months or so, right?”

_“…23…22…21…”_

“Oh shit, that somehow makes sense. S-s-so, what should I do now, Youngjae? Should I just throw the phone to the river, so it explodes in the water??” Daehyun suggested hesitantly.

_“…20…19…18…”_

Youngjae instantly shook his head and replied, “No, we don’t have enough time for that. Besides, your information will still be leaked online, and you don’t want other people using your debit card, right?”

“Nah, I don’t care about that. I’m dead broke.”

“How about your private files then? Do you want _that_ to actually go out online? Our classmates might figure out what you’ve been doing secretly…” Youngjae smirked.

_“…13…12…11…”_

Daehyun punched his friend’s shoulders and snapped, “You piece of shit, it’s not the time to joke around!”

_“…10…”_

“Oh my goodness, there’s only 10 seconds left! Dude, you can hit me all you want later, just talk to that thing first!” Youngjae shouted, pointing frantically at the phone laying down on the floor.

_“…9…8…”_

“Okay, okay! Heck, why does this have to happen to me?!” Daehyun grunted, before quickly grabbing the phone a few centimeters away from him. He then pressed the button and finally started a conversation with the ‘artificial intelligence’,

“Siri, or whoever you are, I’m here now. What the heck do you actually want with me? If money is what you’re after, you’re clearly targeting the wrong person. I can only eat kimbap once a day for the next week or so because of this phone, damn it!!”

“Shit, it’s that bad, huh?” Youngjae snorted.

“Silence, don’t brag ‘cause you’re a Seoulite now. Can’t relate at all, with your parents now living less than 45 minutes from you and feeding you on the weekends. Tsk.” He scoffed back.

“No hard feelings, buddy. I still bring you my mom’s kimchi and ribs though, so be thankful for that.”

“Well… Okay, I admit they’re pretty delicious though. So I extend my gratitude to Mrs. Yoo, but not you.”

“You…!”

_“…Are you guys done squabbling? Must be nice having someone to squabble with, I never had one except with my pet dog, Mochi.”_

“What…?”

_“…Never mind about that. Just letting you know though, I could hear every single thing you’re saying since the very beginning, including what Yoo Youngjae-nim is saying as well.”_

“The heck, now this thing knows my name too? Aish.” Youngjae grumbled.

_“It’s not that hard to find out, Youngjae-nim. It’s what I do for a living, anyway.”_

“So… Do you steal people’s private information for a living? Sounds very suspicious to me.” He instantly responded back, lifting his brow.

_“Haha, you’re a sharp guy. I’ll leave that to your imagination for now.”_

“The heck is that supposed to mean? Stop saying things in such a roundabout manner, it’s kind of annoying. Plus, that flat laughter is creepy. Don’t ever do that again, please.” Daehyun snapped and angrily slammed the table with his fists.

 _“Don’t worry, Daehyun-nim, I will tell you who I really am soon. Anyhow, let me make my intentions clear. I am not here for your money nor am I actually here to blackmail you.”_ ‘Siri’ replied flatly, which was not received well by people on the other side.

Youngjae then retorted, “You practically just threatened to release Daehyun’s private information and destroy his phone, Siri. Even grade schoolers can tell you’re blackmailing him, you dummy.”

_“Right… My apologies. Those were not my true intentions, I just did that so you will listen to me.”_

“Okay, so what is it that you really want? Don’t make me do difficult things please, I’m just a broke and struggling college student.” Daehyun pleaded.

_“It’s nothing that difficult. You just have to listen to my story until the end, that’s all.”_

“Huh, never knew A.I.s can tell stories,” Youngjae remarked, before nudging his best friend’s arms. He then mouthed to him silently,

_“Now I’m 100% sure that there’s a person behind this thing.”_

_“Someone from that hacker group then?”_ Daehyun mouthed back and frowned.

Youngjae nodded and replied, _“Most likely, yeah. We should be careful though, never know what’s going to happen later on.”_

_“Okay then.”_

_“Daehyun-nim, Youngjae-nim? Are you still there? Don’t try to get away just because we’re only connected through audio. I can do more things to your phone that you can never imagine of.”_ The ‘software’ still had the same emotionless voice, but it was clear to the receivers that it was attempting to threaten them again. Not wanting to upset whoever was beyond the other end of the line, Daehyun then responded to them first,

“S-sorry, uhh… We, we got distracted by our ramyeon that got soggy. We haven’t had dinner, you see.”

_“Same, Daehyun-nim. I haven’t had anything to eat today. Ramyeon sounds good though, I used to eat them every time I go play in this small PC-bang near my home.”_

“Oh, then do you still play video games a lot then? Both of us do too, and I think it’s especially fun if you play games together with friends. Don’t you think so, Siri?” Youngjae jumped into the conversation again, forcing a more cheerful tone than before.

_“I have no friends, so I cannot relate. But playing alone in that small PC-bang was a lot of fun though… So much different compared to the bigger PC-bang I’m used to these days. I am not happy at all, even though I thought I would at first.”_

“Why?”

_“Well, you know how in video games we get the satisfaction of taking out enemies without actually killing them? I wish that would go on for me, and I don’t have to take people’s lives through the screen.”_

Daehyun gasped in shock and frantically mouthed at Youngjae, _“Dude, is this person a murderer?? We can get in trouble talking to someone like this!”_

 _“I don’t know, man! I also thought they were just hackers, not killers!”_ Youngjae shrugged and mouthed back, his facial expressions turning stiff.

Daehyun then hesitantly turned to his phone and asked, “Uhh… So… Siri… Do you actually kill people? In real life?”

_“Ah, you might’ve misunderstood me, Daehyun-nim. I’m not a murderer, I do not have the skills to actually kill people, nor do I get paid enough for that.”_

“Phew…” The two boys sighed together quietly in relief, a sense of burden lifted off their shoulders. Things would’ve gotten worse if they had to deal with a much more dangerous outlaw, and the pair were glad they didn’t have to deal with that scenario.

The ‘artificial intelligence’ then continued with their words, _“…However, I do have the power to destroy lives indirectly. Stealing private information and blackmailing people, hacking through the best of systems and jeopardizing them, and so forth. I’ve done so many unforgivable things, and I don’t think I can go back to my life before this.”_

“I see… Sounds like a pretty wild job you have right there, Siri.” Youngjae commented, before taking a deep breath. He then continued, “From what you have described, it sounds to us that you are indeed a professional hacker or something like that. Are we correct?”

_“You are indeed a smart person, Youngjae-nim. I guess it proves that your scores being in the top 10% across the nation for CSATs wasn’t a lie, after all.”_

“Uhh, I don’t think that matters. You literally just said the word ‘hacking’, so…”

Daehyun then patted his friend’s shoulders and said, “Dude, just take the compliment. I know it’s been quite a while since someone acknowledged your brains, so be grateful for that. Even if it’s from some stranger behind this software thing.”

“Why do I feel my blood boiling after hearing that from you, Daehyun-ah? Do you dare insult me and my blessed brains, you middle-tiered student.” Youngjae countered, folding his arms.

“Whatever man, that doesn’t matter anymore since I got into this college. Come on, don’t get distracted and go answer Siri. They’re waiting for you, bro.” Daehyun dismissed him with a hand gesture.

Youngjae led out an exasperated sigh and replied, “Sheesh, fine. Okay Siri, asides from the fact I do not want to know where you got my CSAT scores from, thanks for that compliment. So, back to my original question. You’re basically not denying that you are a hacker, right?”

 _“Yes, you’re correct. I am a professional hacker. To tell you the truth, this phone was actually mine for about a year before I sold it to that ‘store owner_ ahjussi _’. It never belonged to anyone else—otherwise, I would’ve have known because I planted some of my own programmes and tracking software in there. That man tried to tamper with the phone though, although I easily stopped him from doing so.”_

 _“Shit, you were right! The phone belonged to this hacker person!!”_ Daehyun mouthed with an alarmed look on his face, which Youngjae responded with an angry shrug.

He then mouthed back, _“I told you the_ ahjussi _was lying to you! His sister never even owned the damn phone!!”_

Daehyun buried his face in his palms out of frustration, unable to comprehend why was he so gullible against that seemingly friendly ahjussi he met in a lower end electronics shopping mall. He should’ve known better; luxury items sold in that kind of places at a much lower price screams danger, but he had let vanity and jealousy of his peers get ahold of him. It wasn’t easy being a financially struggling student even on partial scholarship, especially in a music college filled with the elites of his country. For once, Daehyun just wanted to feel at par with his peers, but clearly, this wasn’t going as planned.

 _“…Actually, let me properly introduce myself to the two of you,”_ The ‘artificial intelligence’ resumed their words after a long pause, and that instantly made the atmosphere of this tiny studio a lot more suffocating than it already was. The room had no proper insulation, so it was still hot and humid inside even if it’s already the beginning of autumn.

_“Like you guessed earlier, I am indeed, a member of Zelos. In fact… I am the leader of the group, and I go by the name of Choi Junhong.”_

“…?!!” The two immediately shared a distressed look together and stifled a gasp in unison.

_“It is pleased to make your acquaintance, Daehyun-nim, Youngjae-nim. Be honored that you have received this phone in your hands — because now you have been chosen as the receivers of my final letter before I’m gone for good.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to post the new chapter right after it turns 00:00 (KST) for Youngjae's birthday yesterday, but I kept coughing continuously so I had to take a rest OTL. At least it's still the 24th in here, so Happy Youngjae Day! Well, this chapter is certainly not a happy one but I hope you enjoyed reading DaeJae squabbling with each other. I'll try to update the next chapter soon, now I have to rest again sobs 
> 
> Take care of your health to anyone reading this, and 'till next time, adieu~


	3. A Name, a New Hope

‘Choi Junhong’.

 

A name had finally been revealed instead of just calling this person ‘Siri', seemingly giving them a better sense of identity at first. However, truth to be told, nobody from Zelos had ever been properly named by the authorities, as their members presumably change their pseudonyms regularly. It's probable that this name given to them was a fake one as well, of course. But honestly, it was a relatively unique Korean name, so perhaps this had placed the pair in a slightly better position than before in terms of searching and narrowing down required information about this person.

 

 _“It sounds like a masculine name, isn’t it? ‘Junhong’?”_ Youngjae mouthed his suspicion at Daehyun, in which his friend instantly replied with a nod.

 

 _“I think so too. Sounds like a dude from the provinces, actually.”_ Daehyun frowned as he mouthed back to Youngjae.

 

_“Maybe Busan?”_

Daehyun shrugged and replied quietly, _“Nah, that you can’t tell for sure.”_

 

  _“Mmhm, I guess so… But nevertheless, we need to look his name up for starters. Now, where's my cell phone…"_ Youngjae acknowledged and reached for the pocket of his pants—but only to find that he wasn't even wearing any pants, he was only in his boxers all this time!

 

 _“Oh shit, Daehyun. I’m screwed.”_ He slapped his forehead, cursing why had he had been careless on this particular day.

 

_“What? Why?”_

_"…I left my phone in my room downstairs, damn it!"_

Daehyun’s expression turned sour as he replied, _“What the heck? Are you serious?? I thought you always bring your phone everywhere!! You…!”_

_“…Okay guys, where are you guys this time? I’m finally ready for the final letter that I've prepared for about a month, so you better not go anywhere. I worked hard on this, you know.”_ ‘Junhong', who was still talking via the same female robotic voice as before-- interrupted the pair's silent conversation. 

 

 _"Dude, I think I should go downstairs to get my phone. Can you distract him in the meantime? You know, stall him from reading that letter and perhaps from doing something more than that.”_ Youngjae mouthed urgently before he got up and started to tiptoe quietly towards the door. 

 

_“Wait! I don’t think it’s a good id—”_

_“Daehyun-nim, Youngjae-nim, are you trying to run away? You know I can start the countdown again at any time, right?”_ The robotic voice began to sound inherently threatening, enough to return the focus of a panicked Daehyun to this person again.

 

“W-well, Junhong-ssi—”

 

_“Just Junhong is fine, Daehyun-nim. You can speak comfortably with me.”_

“O-okay then, Junhong it is.”

 

_"So? What's up on your side? Remember, I can access more things on your phone than the audio channels alone."_

“Right…” Daehyun’s words trailed off as he glanced frantically back and forth from his phone screen and Youngjae—who was holding his breath for dear life, now desperately trying to tiptoe his way through Daehyun’s mountain of items that were blocking the front door. He tried to warn his friend earlier about, he really did…   

 

Now, he wasn’t sure which one he was more scared of: ‘Junhong’ figuring out that Youngjae was going to exit the room, or him not being able to make up a reasonable excuse in less than 10 seconds. He knew he definitely had to focus on handling the latter, but the sight of watching his frustrated best friend attempting to remove all of his stacks of unused hardcover textbooks and other incredibly dusty junk boxes out of his doorway while occasionally throwing curse words in the air was quite a spectacle. Very intriguing not to miss out on, really. 

 

_“Daehyun-nim??”_

“HAAA… YES! Yes, Junhong-ah! I’m sorry, but Youngjae just had like, a really bad stomach ache from eating ramyeon earlier… I think it might be expired, so he really needs to go to the toilet right now. It's urgent, you see."

 

_“Is that so? That can’t be helped then. I’ve experienced that when I was a trainee hacker, one of my seniors tried to feed me with expired milk. It was out of jealousy because I was much better than him, so it can’t be helped, I suppose.”_

 

“O-oh, okay… That sounds dangerous…” Daehyun replied nervously, but as soon as he saw Youngjae managing to clear out most of the items from his way, he felt a huge sense of relief within him. He only has to open the door quietly to succeed, but that’s where the real challenge starts. Any doors in this student apartment would be the true reflection of the state of this rundown building. The handle and the bottom of the door were extremely rusty, and it always makes a lot of creaking noises every time someone tries to open them. Entering or leaving a room with its light off in this apartment always felt like being in a haunted house, especially if they’re the only person in the hallway at that moment.

 

However, right now, Yoo Youngjae would choose that over whatever he was involved in at the moment. His door had recently been fixed, so it wasn’t as creaky nor as scary. But having to stealthily escape from the attentive ears of a world-class hacker through this door from hell? Definitely not an ideal situation.

 

“Aish, to hell with this, I’m just going to go for it.” He mumbled under his breath, and silently placed his right hand on the handle. He then began to push it down slowly, one careful push at a time. Then another. Then another one again.

 

Cold sweat began trickling down his neck. He was so close to succeeding in opening the door quietly, just one last push was what he needed. Youngjae then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, while tightening his grip on the rusty handle for a final surge of energy. He felt the heat spread from the tip of his pinky, all the way to his thumb, and lastly across the surface of his palms.

 

 _“I can do this.”_ He convinced himself, releasing his breath slowly with the last push of his pinky finger. It was working, it seemed like he was so close to accomplishing the impossible. However—

****

**_BANG! BANG!_ **

****

“…Mmh!!” Youngjae gasped, his eyes sprung open in terror at the loud knocking sounds. He knew that Daehyun had the same reaction as well, but his friend pretended that nothing had happened and attempted to continue his conversation with the hacker.

 

The two hoped that the knocking would stop quickly. The last thing they needed was any form of intrusion, but of course, fate decided not to be any nicer to them at this very moment. 

 

**_CRRREEEAAK!_ **

****

The door suddenly flung open, and Youngjae was instantly pressed back against the mountain of stuff that he worked so hard to clear earlier. The person on the other side then gave more force to the door that was barely able to open halfway through, causing Youngjae’s skinny legs to be squished between it and the stack of textbooks right behind him.

 

“Nnggh!” He stifled a wince, trying to hold back the immense jolt of pain from both sides of his legs. Even with the immense stabbing pains from the edge of each hardcover books, he knew he had to endure it in order to remain undiscovered by this uninvited guest. Being the sociable person that he is, Youngjae was sure he knew almost every single person in this 5-story building. There would be a high chance that they'll call out his name if they saw him, and then ‘Junhong’ would know of his true whereabouts.

 

However, after a few pushes from this seemingly very powerful guest, Youngjae’s legs were certainly about to give up. He was so close in falling down head first against the mountain of textbooks and another big box of what seemed to be an uncanny mix of broken household utensils—but thankfully, despite having no clear visibility of the uninvited guest, Daehyun’s quick reaction in identifying them had successfully saved his friend from imminent danger.

 

“Minjae-ah, how many times have I told you to knock?! Don’t just open my door like that every time, geez!” He yelled in exasperation at the guest.

 

At the sound of their name being called, a tall, tan-skinned boy with buzz-cut hair poked his head through the small opening of the door and smiled sheepishly at Daehyun. He then responded, “Sorry hyung, it’s because you didn’t answer when I knocked earlier. You never lock your door when you’re here, so I thought I just open it…”

 

“Aish, really…” Daehyun led out a sigh, before questioning the high school student, “So, what is it this time? You know I cannot help you with your math or science problems, right?”

 

“Ah hyung, it’s not that, don’t worry. It’s just… Uhm… Do you perhaps have extra kimchi? My siblings are coming over and they wanted to eat ramyeon with that, so…” Minjae requested hesitantly, scratching the back of his neck.

 

Daehyun then took a glimpse at Youngjae, who was frantically mouthing something at him repeatedly and giving him an ‘X' symbol using both of his index fingers:

 

_“Don’t let him in! Please, just don’t let him find out I’m here!”_

 

“Should I just come in, hyung? I won’t be long…”

 

“NO, YOU CAN’T!” Daehyun’s voice startled the high school boy, whose expression had dimmed right away. 

 

Minjae then hung his head down and apologized, “S-sorry hyung, I don’t mean to make you angry, sorry…”

 

"A-ah no, no, I didn't mean it that way. It's just that… My room is extremely messy right now, there's a lot of stuff everywhere that I haven't cleaned up so it's better if you don't come in." Daehyun returned in a much calmer voice, before grabbing the small kimchi container right in front of him. He then stepped towards his junior and handed over the entire container, signaling that he could take everything with him. 

 

“Daehyun-hyung, are you sure I can take all of this…?” Minjae asked shyly.

 

“I told you that you're allowed to, right? Now go and share it with your siblings, I'm sure they're waiting for you." Daehyun replied firmly.

 

“Ahh thank you so much, hyung! You’re the best!” Minjae answered joyfully, getting ready to make his leave.

 

“It’s just kimchi, no big deal. Also, before you leave—”

 

“Yes, hyung?”

  
“Leave the door open, will you? It's a bit humid in here, and there are too many bugs if I have to open the window."

 

“Ah, yes, hyung!" The high school student nodded before skipping away in glee. Using this opportunity, Youngjae immediately slipped away from his current position and succeeded in heading outside, relying on Minjae’s loud footsteps to hide his escape from ‘Junhong’.

 

Once he was able to stand in front of Daehyun’s room, he waited for the boy to return to his room on the other end of the hallway. After confirming that he was out of sight, Youngjae walked to the opposite side, towards the stairs. He thought that nobody would be walking around at 12 am on a Wednesday night, expecting that he'll safely remain out of anyone's sight until he reached his room.

 

He was about to walk the stairs heading one floor down, but that’s when he saw two boys in identical school uniform heading upstairs. To his surprise, he had never seen any of them before. They were both incredibly tall and fair-skinned, a perfect depiction of what Youngjae assumed male models would look like in this country. One boy had his clean-cut hair dyed in ash brown, and also had a few piercings on his left ear. Personality-wise, he was definitely chattier and bubblier compared to his peer: a boy with messy, jet-black hair and heavy dark-rimmed glasses, constantly having a sullen look on his face.

 

Youngjae then locked eyes with the chattier boy, and they both exchanged nods with each other.

 

“Have a good evening, you two.” Youngjae initiated the greeting first, looking at the two of them properly in the eyes.

 

"You too, have a good evening!" The chattier boy's husky voice replied back, but his friend only responded with a silent nod. They both resumed their conversation almost immediately, about to walk past Youngjae—but in a split second, his eyes caught something.

 

In South Korea, it’s customary for secondary school students to have pins with their names embedded on them. It eases the process of remembering names for teachers, as well as classmates alike. The colors differed from each school; Youngjae and Daehyun’s former high school had silver tags, while these two boys seemed to have bronze tags attached to their left chest. 

 

Indeed, it was a name that had caught Youngjae’s attention. The font was not that eye-catching; however, he was sure what he just saw. Out of all possible naming combinations in South Korea, it had to be this particular name that passed right by him:

 

[최준홍]

 

Or in its Romanized version,

 

‘Choi Junhong’.

 

_“Oh, my goodness, are you freaking joking right now…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I apologize for the later update than usual, as I intended to upload on B.A.P's 6th anniversary but had some setbacks in writing some parts of this chapter... Well, glad that it's done at least! Thank you to everyone who has been reading this story, and I'll see you in the next chapter. 
> 
> 'Till next time, adieu~


	4. Really? Back to High School?

How likely is it to have 2 people with exactly the same name in a country like South Korea? Truth to be told, even when half of the entire population bore the surnames of either Kim, Lee, or Park, it was relatively unlikely to find a pair with identical names. Especially not in such an uncanny timing.

 

Allowing his instincts to take over, Youngjae immediately turned back and rushed towards the two boys, running frantically two flights of stairs up. He then shouted at them to grab their attention,

 

“Wait, you two! Stop!”

 

"Huh?" The two boys turned their heads around in unison, only to see a person in a baggy print t-shirt and red, polka dot boxers charging straight after them. His loose sandals almost cause him to trip over a step, but thankfully—

 

**_BAM!_ **

****

“Oh shit, that was close!” He yelped as he panted heavily, grabbing to the hand railings for dear life. In the heat of the moment, the college student then quickly pointed at the boy with glasses and said,

 

“Dude, you!”

 

“M-me? W-w-w-what is it that you want with me?” The boy with glasses stammered uncontrollably, seemingly trying his best to avoid Youngjae’s sharp gaze at all costs.

 

“Your name. Is your name really Choi Junhong?” Youngjae asked without any hesitation.

 

“Uhm… Uhm… W-w-why do you want to know?” He replied, his narrow, dark brown eyes starting to tear up.

 

Frustrated by the boy’s responses, Youngjae then reflexively raised his voice, “Come on, I just want to know if that’s your real name or not. Tell me!”

 

“Uhh…!”

 

“Oi, you don’t have to be so rude, right? I don’t care which school you go to, you should talk to other people with respect… _Dude_.” The other boy interjected and stepped forwards to cover his friend, hostility reflected in his round eyes. His name tag had the letters ‘Song Chanwoo’ printed on it, so Youngjae assumed that must be the boy’s name.

 

However, what he felt right away was outright disbelief as he heard Chanwoo’s response. He then responded back to him, “Excuse me…? Did you just call me… ‘dude’?”

 

“Sure did. Got any problems with that?”

 

“Wah… This kid…” He grunted under his breath, balling his fists. This was the first time that someone obviously younger had addressed him that way and his pride definitely won’t let that slide.

 

“Hmm? Did you just call me a ‘kid’? That’s not very respectful.” The boy challenged Youngjae again and scoffed at him.

 

Youngjae immediately snapped, “Well, you should say that to yourself. How can a high school student like you talk informally like this to someone older than you? Huh? Song Chanwoo-ssi?”

 

“Older…? What are you talking about…?” He replied, with a confused look on his face.

 

“Can’t you see from my appearance alone?! Do I look like I’m young enough to go to school?? Huh???” Youngjae yelled in fury.

 

The two boys stood in silence for a few moments, their puzzled expressions perfectly mirrored each other as they took a thorough glance at Youngjae once again. Although the boy in glasses, ‘Choi Junhong’, had still refused to look at him in the eyes, he was definitely not convinced that the person in front of him was someone older. The babyface, that choice of plain t-shirt with a Super Mario print on it, along with his manners of speech just simply did not add up—and honestly, they thought anyone would've thought the same too.

 

Quickly noticing what was going on, Youngjae then said in a perplexed tone, “Okay, I don’t like those looks on your faces. Are you serious? Do you really think I still go to school?”

 

“Honestly… Yes. You even look like someone in our year level… Who was it?” Chanwoo inquired his friend, his tone much calmer than before.

 

“I don’t know, maybe someone from class 2-4?”

 

“Hmm, maybe. I don’t really know anyone from that class, so you might b—”

 

"Wait," Youngjae interjected them, sensing that he could be on to something more.

 

“Hmm? What now, dude?” Of course, that was Song Chanwoo again.

 

“Youngjae, hold it in, hold it in…” He murmured, trying to keep his composure together from being treated so casually by someone seemingly much younger than him. He had to take a few deep breaths before asking, “You guys… Are you 2nd-year students?"

 

“Sure thing, proud students of Hwanyang Boys’ High. How about you?” Chanwoo asked in a confident manner.

 

“2nd year as well...”

 

“Oh? We’re the same th—”

 

“…of Yonsei University’s College of Music. The name’s Yoo Youngjae, and nice to meet you, _kids_.” Youngjae attempted to show a cool smirk to the boys, but as soon as he saw Chanwoo and ‘Junhong's' surprised reactions—

 

“Wha—” 

 

“HAH! TAKE THAT!” Youngjae led out a cry of happiness, clearly unable to hold back his true feelings anymore. He then placed his arms on his hips and said, “So much for calling me ‘dude’, huh? Man, I should not have wasted time and told you I come from your school's prestigious affiliate university. I forgot how your uniform looked like, so that made me hesitant for a bit.”

 

“A-ah…” The aggressive and chatty Chanwoo earlier was no more, now completely loss at words. He glanced at ‘Junhong’ nervously, who doesn't seem to look any better as well. Seniority is still prevalent in South Korean culture, and not showing respect to anyone older was deemed as extremely disrespectful by all of its people. These two boys were definitely aware of the gravity of their wrongdoings, despite how seemingly insignificant it may seem.

 

However, instead of scolding them further on that, Youngjae decided to make use of their guilt for his initial objectives. He might’ve been carried away by his temper earlier, but he knew what his true priorities were.

 

“So, suddenly quiet now huh, guys? Don’t you have something to say to me, hmm?” He pried the boys with a snicker on his face.

 

"Uhm… We’re really sorry…” Chanwoo bowed down, and his friend silently followed him.

 

“Apology accepted, but that’s not what matters.” Youngjae shook his head, before pointing at the direction of the boy in glasses, “You. You haven’t told me if your name is really ‘Choi Junhong’ or not. Can you tell me now?”

 

“A-ah… Uhm… Uhh…”

 

“…Sorry, Youngjae-ssi, this friend’s here is really not good with strangers.” Chanwoo lifted his head and apologized once more.

 

Youngjae then folded his arms and responded, “Well, can you answer for your friend then? Is he really called Choi Junhong?”

 

Before Chanwoo opened his mouth, Youngjae knew he had to expect two responses: either a yes or a no. The former was not any better than the latter, and vice versa. Honestly, he couldn’t think of what to do if the boy said ‘yes’—should he interrogate him and possibly scare the living daylights out of this seemingly anthrophonic kid? Or call the police right away, despite not really knowing if he was the same ‘Choi Junhong’ as the one he and Daehyun were currently dealing with?

 

On the other hand, if he had said ‘no’, then Youngjae would’ve just wasted time in trying to converse with these two kids he never met before. A lot of things could be going on each minute he’s away from Daehyun at the moment, especially with the unpredictable nature of that hacker. What if Daehyun failed to stall that person, and he managed to read his final letter? Anyone could figure out that if someone’s trying to leave a ‘final letter’, that could only mean one thing.

 

_“He’s trying to commit suicide.”_

 

Unconsciously, Youngjae had been trying to avoid even thinking about those words ever since the hacker was talking about his final letter. He knew Daehyun was doing the same too, but at this point, it might've been inevitable to do so. Those words weren't just a lump of ‘words' to them, it carried actual memories of sorrow for the two of them. Something that once had kept them company at night, constantly keeping their eyes glued open while their minds were paralyzed with fear, and unfortunately, guilt.

 

At the thought of that particular memory, the former prodigy student of one of South Korea’s best and most competitive high schools suddenly felt that perhaps, it would be best if he didn’t know what Song Chanwoo’s response was. Maybe he’d be better off not knowing who his glasses friend was, or even knowing if ‘Choi Junhong’ was a real person’s name or not. Heck, that hacker guy might not have been a real person. It might be a software he had programmed; a bug, perhaps.

 

_“But, are you sure you want to take your chances and repeat what had happened to Tae Sora again? Or Kwon Hyejin?”_

_“How about your seatmate during the first half of your 2 nd year, Kim Youngjin? Or the one after that, Mo Jieun?” _

_“Perhaps the siblings from Daehyun’s class, Kang Sunghyun, and Kang Sunho? You could’ve done something, you know?”_

 

That was the depths of his heart questioning himself, and he grimaced at the thought of that. Once, those names belonged people dear to him and Daehyun, who had brought joy to their lives.

 

However, if only they did know how to help. Each and every single one of them. If only they could show up in time. If on—

 

"—No, Youngjae-ssi." Chanwoo's words snapped Youngjae awake from his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. After a momentary pause, the high school student then resumed,

 

“His name is Yeo Dohyun. And actually… This uniform… I mean, this particular blazer he’s wearing right now is not his. Someone took his.”

 

“Huh? What do you mean?”

 

“U-u-uh… I-I can elaborate on that.” Dohyun finally had the courage to speak up, and even hold eye contact with Youngjae only for a couple of seconds. Despite being a lot slower than his friend, he started explaining,

 

"I-in our school, w-we always change clothes in our classes when we're scheduled to have P-P.E. W-we leave them behind when we’re having o-our lessons. S-so, w-when I and Ch-channie came back to our empty homeroom after P-P.E., I d-discovered that my blazer w-was no longer on my t-table. T-there was only this blazer with this n-name tag on it, and I-I had no choice but to wear it because our school punishes a-anyone without complete uniform. I-it happened to be a p-perfect fit too. But, the thing is…”

 

“…We didn’t know who this ‘Choi Junhong’ was, and so neither do our classmates. He wasn’t a student in our class. We also tried asking students from the other 4 classes in our floor, but none of them were familiar with his name. However, one of my friends from our neighboring class, 2-1, told us something after the last period ended." Chanwoo also helped his friend explain their situation, and it had only intrigued Youngjae to inquire further about it, instead of focusing on the worries he had earlier.

 

“So, what did he tell you? Is it something like ‘I saw someone came into your class during P.E.’ or the sorts?” Youngjae asked, making a wild guess.

 

“Whoa, how did you know??” Chanwoo and Dohyun gasped in unison.

 

Youngjae shrugged and replied, "W-well, just a hunch, I suppose.”

 

“Amazing… B-but anyways, back to the topic. Yes, my friend Junseo told me that on the way to the restroom, he saw a student with similar physical attributes to Dohyun coming into our empty class and seemed to be looking for something. He even saw that student taking off his blazer so quickly, seemingly making sure that no one was looking at him. Junseo also never saw him on our floor too, so…” Chanwoo elaborated with a serious look and scratched the sides of his cheeks quickly.

 

“What do you mean by ‘similar physical attributes’? And is your school that kind where year levels are separated by each floor?” Youngjae asked more questions, his tone gradually getting more fired up.

 

“J-Junseo t-told us that he had about the same height as me, a-and even the same built. A-and for your second question, y-yes, each year l-level a-are located on different floors.” That was Dohyun stammering, who had averted his gaze again.

 

“Huh, interesting… It looked like this Junhong person was targeting your blazer on purpose, Dohyun-ah. Do you perhaps have any beef or some sorts with other students? Someone who might’ve disliked you for some reason, maybe?” Youngjae questioned again.

 

Chanwoo was the one who responded by briefly shaking his head. He then replied, “No, despite whatever first impressions you have of Dohyunnie right now, everyone doesn’t have a problem with him. He plays LoL really well and he also does well in his studies, so that’s probably why most of the boys are cool with him, I guess.”

 

“B-but I-I’m not that good in a-any of those…”

 

“Shush, Dohyun. We both know that’s not true.” Chanwoo interjected his friend, before resuming, “Anyhow, what I’m trying to say is that as his closest friend, I don’t think I can think of anyone who dislikes him in school. At least from our grade, I suppose.”

 

Youngjae then immediately responded, “Don’t you guys interact with other year levels then? Like with your underclassmen or upperclassmen during lunchtime or after school?”

 

“No, that’s not possible. Each year level has different timeslots assigned for lunch, and classes also end at a much later time for 3rd-year students. We could leave school at the same time with 1st years, but the younger ones are usually scared of their upperclassmen. It's just a culture here. Both I and Dohyun experienced it even until now, with the 3rd years in particular." 

 

“Ahh, right. I don’t think that’s unique to your school though, mine was like that as well. I think almost every school in this city is kind of like that, to be honest with you." Youngjae shrugged and continued to talk, "But anyway, back to the main issue. If I sum up everything you guys have said earlier, this ‘Choi Junhong' person that presumably swapped Dohyun's jacket with his is someone from your school, but you guys think he's either from the 1st or 3rd year. Correct?” 

 

The two of them nodded in unison, and Youngjae gave them a satisfied smiled. He then started heading back down to his floor and waved at the pair, "Okay, I think I'm on to something here. I'm actually in a hurry, so I'll be going then. Thanks for the help, Chanwoo-ah, Dohyun-ah. I’ll see you guys around!”

 

 “Y-you’re… Welcome?” Chanwoo responded hesitantly and waved back. Puzzled, the two 18-year olds just stood there silently for a few moments, watching the back of a stranger in red polka dot boxers who just questioned them thoroughly about another stranger slowly disappearing from their sights. They just went along with that person all because he claimed he’s a senior from their affiliate university, and the two knew better to keep their manners with people who were older here.

 

However, this was only their 3rd day as tenants in this student apartment, and Yoo Youngjae was the first person they had talked to—which obviously, left a bizarre impression on them.

“Channie-ah, didn’t I tell you not to look places that are not too cheap?! Look, it’s only our 3rd day here and we've made an encounter with a weirdo in that filthy t-shirt and boxers! He even asked way too many questions too! Who’s that Choi Junhong person to him, huh?? Some high schooler who defeated him and his pride in an online game or something?” Surprisingly, that was Dohyun, complaining at his best friend without a single hint of his stammers from earlier.

 

“Dohyun-ah…”

 

“What if this entire building’s swarmed with people like him, huh? Huh?? This is all your fault!” Dohyun blamed Chanwoo, folding his arms angrily.

 

Exhausted and now exasperated, the brown-haired boy let out a loud grunt and snapped at his friend, “Aish, Dohyun-ah, time to freaking shut the heck up! This was the only option our education agent gave us, okay?? It's your fault because we got kicked out from Mrs. Miyoung's place! Your lousy ass couldn't just get up and go to a PC-Bang to play LoL there as loud as you want in the middle of the night, for every single damn day! You just had to do it in her place instead, you dimwit!"

 

“Argh, but you know I can’t play without my custom monitor and mouse! I need to defend my title, you know! The national championships are coming up soon!” Wailed Dohyun, now stamping his feet.

 

Chanwoo rolled his head and sighed, “You know what… I should’ve told that weird _sunbae_ that everyone hates you, instead of defending you like that. Then maybe he’ll want to interrogate you more, maybe he’ll drag you to his room too for that. Sounds better, right? Right?”

 

“…Urgh, that sounds disgusting. I’m not going anywhere with that dude. Let’s just go back to our room, okay? I have an important match to attend to.” Dohyun scowled and walked away, while Chanwoo followed directly behind his back.

 

“Geez, if only I could play games all night long and still can ace my tests the next day. I envy you, Yeo Dohyun.” Chanwoo grunted.

 

With that, the two new tenants walked into their new home, blissfully unaware of the ongoing crisis two floors down. They were almost involved in it, but thankfully, have successfully escaped by a hair’s breath.

 

 _…Or have they?_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew finally done with this chapter! Was about to upload it on Uppie's bday (my bias ////) but I had to fix quite a few things so it shall be a day late... Well, although this has no Uppie in it, a BAP member's birthday should be celebrated with an upload of something (or so I had intended it to be =w='')! 
> 
> Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll see you again in the next one! Look forward to what happens to Daehyun, Youngjae and their new 'friend' 'Choi Junhong' in the future chapters. 
> 
> As always... 'Till next time, adieu~


	5. Behind the Machine, Eighteen

_“So, is Youngjae-nim alright now, Daehyun-nim?”_

 

“Uhh, not sure… Looks like he’s still sick.”

 

_“I see, I hope he gets well soon. We can wait for him. I probably still have to make some other adjustments, anyway.”_

“O-okay, if you say so, Junhong-ah…” 

A few moments of silence followed afterward, and that was the only conversation between the hacker and his ‘victim’, right after he was left alone in his room. He thought Youngjae would’ve at least returned in less than five minutes or so, but there seemed to be no signs of his whereabouts.

 

_Shit, what do I do…? What should I say…? Where the heck is that fool anyway, taking his damn sweet time?!_

Cold sweat started to trickle down behind Daehyun’s back, in fear of what could happen next. Sure enough, ‘Junhong’ hadn’t started doing anything for these few precious minutes or so. But he was well aware that this person was a complete stranger, someone very unpredictable through and through. Is this ‘Choi Junhong’ really the person he claimed to be? If so, what kind of person he truly is? Honestly, where does he even come from? How does he look like? Is he a scary, middle-aged ruffian? Or a handsome and neat businessman type of guy? Or perhaps, is Junhong actually a lady in disguise? Also, how old is he…or possibly, a she?

 

“…Huh, I wonder what’s his or her age…” Daehyun unknowingly mumbled to himself, which ‘Junhong’ had heard,

 

_“Are you asking me how old I am, Daehyun-nim?”_

 

 _Crap, he overheard me!!_ The college student cursed in his mind, slapping himself silently in the cheeks for being so clumsy.

 

_What if this person doesn’t like being asked these types of question? Sure, he might be Korean, but he’s still a pretty private hacker though._

_Wait, what if he’s not even Korean? What if he’s a foreigner, and he’s really angry at me now for disrespecting his culture?? He’s going to blast my phone and my entire life! Oh crap, crap, cr—_

 

 _“...Do you want to know my real age or the one for public use?”_ Surprisingly, that was ‘Junhong’, seemingly calmer than what Daehyun had envisioned inside his head.

 

“Umm…” Daehyun hesitated, unsure as to what to respond, “Well, honestly, I have no idea what the public thinks how old you are so… Whatever you’re comfortable with, then?”

 

_“That doesn’t answer the question, Daehyun-hyung.”_

“Uhh…” Daehyun’s words trailed off in hesitation again, before his brain finally picked up something crucial from that person’s response to him.

 

‘Hyung’ _–_ a form of honorifics used for older men by younger men, specific to the Korean language.

 

_If that was the case…_

“…Did you just call me ‘hyung’, Junhong-ah?” He tried to confirm his suspicions.

 

_“You heard that right. But umm, am I being too overfamiliar with you or anything? If you don’t like it, I can change back the honorifics...”_

“No, no, I don’t really mind, but… Junhong-ah, someone as skilled as you are… Is actually younger than me?? I mean, I’m only 21, you know?”

 

_“Don’t underestimate the power of people under 20, hyung. We can do much more than you think.”_

Hearing the words ‘under 20’, it instantly made Daehyun’s jaw drop in utter shock. He exclaimed, “Wait… what?! Are you saying that you’re still a teenager??”

 

_“Yep. I’m actually only 18 years old, even though the news portrays me as a young man in his late 20s. Pretty cool, huh?”_

“I wouldn’t call it ‘cool’ or anything but… Junhong-ah, if you’re really 18, how come you’re already doing all this hacking thing of yours?”

 

_“Hmm… Are you trying to judge me like everyone else does, hyung? That I’m supposed to be studying instead of playing with the computer and whatnot?”_

“N-no, no! Absolutely not!” Those were the words that came out of reflex, but Daehyun’s feelings did not resonate with it. Truth to be told, he was just genuinely confused as to why a teenager was living such a complicated life as the leader of a criminal hacking group.

 

To top it all off, what on earth had fueled his desires to end his life at such an early age— just like some of his friends during high school?

 

Right at that moment, Jung Daehyun could feel his stomach churning uncomfortably and his head getting heavier at the thought of it. Names he tried to so hard to forget was starting to pop out one by one, reminding him of what he could’ve done for them before they all left him behind. Not only him, they also left behind Youngjae too, given that the pair always interacted with a similar group of people back then.

 

***

 

When Daehyun and Youngjae first entered one of the top-ranked high schools in the country as first-year students, excitement and fear were two major emotions that Daehyun remembered having at the tender age of seventeen. On one hand, he was excited to plow the results from all of his hard work during middle school. He succeeded in being able to wear that renowned midnight black blazer with pride, even if he almost lost his sanity somewhere along the way. Daehyun really wanted to make his parents proud, and that was the only thing that mattered back then.

 

However, the immense fear creeping behind the excitement was something the younger Jung Daehyun couldn’t ignore. It was no secret that being a student in that school amounted to high amount of stress and intense competition between classmates, and he feared that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with that. He was prepared that he would be most stressed out by numbers, formulas, and insane testing methods throughout the three years he’ll spend in that school, but boy, the reality was a lot harsher than that.

 

If the stress was only the results from thousands of hours spent on daily exams and exercises, life would’ve been a lot easier for Daehyun, who had more struggles academically compared to the genius Yoo Youngjae. Heck, even constantly experiencing lack of sleep due to non-stop studying in cram schools seemed to be better.

 

Indeed, it was much better than having to see a single white flower placed on empty, yet familiar seats for once every few months in class.

 

***

 

 _“Daehyun-hyung? Are you still there?”_ The robotic voice snapped the young man out from reminiscing about the burdens of his dark past, whom he shared with no one. No one except that one he had shared the entire experience with, of course. 

 

"O-oh, yeah. Sorry, I was distracted by my own thoughts…" Daehyun apologized, shaking his head quickly afterward to fully snap him back to reality.

 

_“Your own thoughts? So, were you really thinking about judging me, huh…?”_

 

“No, no! I was… I was just reminded of my past. When I was around your age, I…”

 

_“??”_

Daehyun’s lips trembled as he resumed talking, “I… I… Argh, I’m sorry Junhong-ah, I’m not sure I can say it now. It has only been two years since I graduated from that uniform, after all…”

 

 _“That famous black uniform, right? I know, hyung. I have all your data right here.”_ ‘Junhong’ replied, _“I even have your class pictures and your tagged photos in social media downloaded in my database. It’s not something too hard for someone like me to obtain, you know.”_

“Right, I almost forget you’re a pro hacker for one minute there… Now, please stop looking at my photos. I look incredibly hideous with that pair of white glasses and bowl haircut, goodness me.”

 

 _“Aww, don’t say that. You look as handsome as you are now, hyung.”_ Albeit being a compliment, the flat, lifeless female voice somehow made it sound rather sarcastic, and it made Daehyun rather ticked off at this person’s words.

 

“Junhong-ah, you don’t sound sincere with that compliment.” He commented, leading out a sigh afterward.

 

_“What are you talking about, hyung? I’m being honest, of course! Actually, I can’t tell a lie at all, not even to the worst of human beings! I swear to that!”_

“Huh, really? Even if you’re given, let’s say… ₩500,000 to tell one?”

 

 _“I’m already receiving that amount of money from a single mission, so why do I need to tell a lie for that?”_ ‘Junhong’ responded in a nonchalant tone, which made Daehyun’s jaw drop again.

 

He exclaimed, “What the heck?! No wonder it’s so easy for you to buy a brand-new iPhone! Damn, I had a hunch you could be loaded, but not to that extent! Aish, I wish I had even a fraction of your wealth. I’m so broke compared to you.”

 

_“Well, I guess that’s the only good thing that comes out from this job. But… I actually wish I can have a fraction of your life, Daehyun-hyung. I’m still looking at your photos during high school right now, and you do look really happy with your friends around you. If only I had them…”_

 

“Friends, you mean?”

 

_“Yeah. I told you and Youngjae-hyung earlier that I never had one, right?”_

“Right, you did. You told me you had your dog though, and aren’t dogs a man’s best company? I’ve always wanted one, but unfortunately, my mother back in Busan is allergic to them, and it’s too expensive to raise one here on my own.”

 

_“That’s not wrong, I do have Mochi, but she’s back in Mokpo so… I could only see her once every few months, which makes me sad. By the way, speaking of which…”_

“…?”

 

 _“…Who’s this cute girl always smiling beside you, Daehyun-hyung? The one with dark brown hair and dimples, hohoho.”_ ‘Junhong’ attempted to playfully steer the conversation, but unfortunately, it had the opposite effect on Daehyun.

 

“Ah, her…” His words trailed off, as he was bitter memories showed up again. She was once his close friend, confidante, and perhaps almost more than that—but that was before the dreaded mock exams for the CSATs came around the corner during their second year of high school.

 

_“So? Who’s she? Her name sounds quite unique though, ‘Mo Jieun’. I like the ring of that.”_

Right after hearing that particular name, a pang of guilt came crashing down against Daehyun's heart. It's been so long since he heard anyone said that name, let alone have anyone ask him about the person herself. Everyone around him knew better not to do so, especially not to someone who had last seen her. Before he knew it, it was already time to lay down that dreaded white flower down on what used to be her desk back then.

 

“Well, Jieun is my best fr—sorry, she _was_ my best friend in high school. Well, maybe even more, but we never passed that point.” Much to his surprise, Daehyun had blurted out an honest answer to the hacker. Perhaps the mood had somehow prompted his unconsciousness to do so, but honestly, he wasn’t so sure at this point.

 

 _Oh well, let’s just go with the flow then…_ He thought to himself as he shrugged.

 

 _“Ohoo… More than friends, I see. But wait a minute, ‘was’ your best friend? Is she no longer your friend now?”_ ‘Junhong’ questioned, and that instantly made Daehyun regret his decision for allowing this conversation to go with the flow. There’s no way he could dodge the bullet now.

 

He took a few deep breaths just to prepare himself mentally—but that’s exactly when he realized that he had discovered a valuable opening.

_Maybe if I tell him what really happened to Jieun and the rest, I can get ‘Junhong’ to talk about himself more._ The spark came to him in a blink of an eye, and he wasted no time to muster up his courage and proceed with it.

 

“Junhong-ah, this won’t be a nice story to tell, especially to you right now…” Daehyun started off his sentence in a serious tone, before continuing, “But I wouldn’t feel good lying about what really happened to Jieun either, so I’ll tell you the truth.”

 

_“No problem. Go on ahead, hyung.”_

“Jieun… She committed suicide during the second year of high school. She jumped from the rooftop in the middle of mock exams. It was halfway through one of our advanced mathematics exams, to be exact.”

 

_“Ah…”_

“I… I was the last person who’d seen her alive. I remembered right before that particular exam started, Jieun asked me to go to the restroom after an hour or so. We were both from different classes during our second year, so it was possible to head out at the same time. Little did I know that she just wanted to say her final farewell to me. She felt like she was being a huge disappointment to everyone around her, because she wasn’t able to achieve first place and secure a scholarship to Seoul National University, like what her parents and teachers had expected from her.”

 

_“I see…”_

“I always believed she was a strong person, and simply thought it was just one of those really stressful days that most of us endure together during exam period, but I was wrong. I didn’t think she was serious when she told me that she wanted to give up for good. I was… Yeah…” Daehyun’s words trailed off again, now feeling an uncomfortable lump in his throat.

 

 _“Hyung, I’m so sorry… I didn’t know about that…”_ ‘Junhong’ responded apologetically through the software’s robotic voice. It had taken Daehyun aback for a bit that the pro hacker would do so, but the college student managed to quickly regain his composure back.

 

“That’s alright,” He managed to reply calmly, the imaginary lump inside of his throat no more. He then resumed, “It’s not a pleasant memory to relive now, but it’s much better than creating lies to cover them.”

 

_“Hyung…”_

 

“For your information, it didn’t only happen to Jieun. If you’re still looking at my old photos right now, at least a quarter of those smiling faces had faced the same fate as her. It happens more often than you think in high schools in this city. Especially mine, unfortunately.” 

 

_“O-oh…”_

 

Daehyun averted his gaze from the phone for a few moments as he said, “Yup… Not a really nice story, isn’t it? Sorry, didn’t really mean to bring the mood down.” 

 

_“T-that’s okay, I understand…”_

 

“Thank you, Junhong-ah. Anyway, since I’ve answered your question, can I ask you something instead?” 

 

_“Sure. What is it, hyung?”_

“Is there a reason you want to be like Ji… Hold on, let me rephrase that, actually.” Daehyun said before taking a nervous gulp. He then resumed, "Why… Do you want to end up just like my best friend, Junhong?”

 

_“…”_

The hacker went completely silent, but it couldn’t stop Daehyun’s urge to talk more. The young man simply thought that since he had said so much already, why shouldn’t he just go all out?

 

Alas, with that mindset in mind, Jung Daehyun went on,

 

“…I… To be very honest with you, I was completely devastated when Jieun died. So was I when my seatmate for my last semester overdosed on cough medicine, or when I heard that bodies of the twins sitting behind me were found on a riverbank nearby. Heck, I even felt the exact same way when one of Youngjae’s annoying seatmates jumped from the same spot Jieun committed suicide, and it happened only around three days after she did it.”

 

_“…”_

“I’m sure Youngjae feels the same way too, but he’s maybe not too vocal about expressing his emotions, despite being a really loud chatterbox on the surface. He’s that kind of person, I guess.”

 

_“…”_

 

“But, you know what? Putting Youngjae aside, do you know what I regretted the most from all of this?”

 

_“…”_

Still, no response.

 

A bittersweet smile from the college student was reflected on the screen of his phone, an expression he rarely showed anyone in the last couple of years or so. As he kept that smile, he carried on,

 

“I wish I had spared just one minute for each one of them, look them in the eye, and tell them that they’re doing great. Tell them that they are enough for who they are. Man, I wish I wasn't so damn scared to look away from my books for just a bit; as if I would lose everything from doing so."

 

_“…”_

“Well sure, I retained formulas, historical dates and a bunch of other information I thought was important back then. But I didn’t realize I had lost things that I could never get back.”

 

_“…”_

There was still nothing but silence from the other side, but Daehyun was adamant to press on even further,

“Junhong-ah, I don’t know why you’re staying quiet. Maybe you think I’m trying to atone for my sins in the past by telling you all of this. Heck, maybe you think I’m being a really annoying stranger at the moment.” Daehyun paused and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

 

After he was sure he was able to go on, the college student then said, “You know what, you can completely ignore my initial question for you. I don’t think that matters anymore.”

 

_“…”_

“I can't look you in the eyes right now, but at the very least, please allow me to say this. Choi Junhong-ssi, I don’t know who you really are, nor the actual circumstances of your life until this point…”

 

_“…...”_

“…But what I do know is that you’re doing great, and you’re enough for who you are. If no one has ever told you this, well, let this random stranger be the first one, I guess.” Daehyun hesitantly concluded his sentence, only to be met with another moment of silence.

 

However, fortunately, this one didn’t last as long as before.

 

 _“…Even when I’ve committed so many unforgivable crimes, hyung?”_ The familiar robotic voice of the software popped out again, and a huge wave of relief immediately filled Daehyun’s heart. _At least the boy’s still around,_ he thought to himself.

 

He responded to ‘Junhong’ with a nod, “Everyone’s guilty of something in their lives. You’re not alone, Junhong-ah.”

‘Junhong’ then said in return, _“But Daehyun-hyung, not everyone lives a life like me! I constantly have blood on my hands, even if I’m safely tucked behind the screens of my high definition, 24” monitors. Do you know how many lives they had made me destroy so far? Hundreds. No, maybe it’s already thousands at this point. Ergh, I don’t even care anymore, it’s much better if someone like me can be gone for good!”_

“No, please don—”

 

**— _THUD!!_**

****

“What the?!” Daehyun yelped as a sudden loud noise startled him; as if someone had dropped a large, heavy box from the top of the staircase. He quickly got up on his feet and headed towards the door to get visuals on what was going on—only to find that his best friend was writhing in pain against the walls near the staircase. Youngjae grimaced as he was tightly grasping the area around his shoulder blades, and this was certainly a sight that Daehyun never expected to see.

 

“Youngjae-ah, are you okay?? Holy crap, what the heck happened to you?” Daehyun cried out to his friend, his voice echoing loudly throughout the paper-thin walls of the hallways.

 

After a few winces, grunts and heavy pants here and there, Youngjae gritted his teeth, took a deep breath and forced himself to respond to Daehyun,

 

“You think?! Aish, why is this wall so damn hard, for crying out loud!”

 

“O-okay, I’ll quickly bring over some bandage th—”

 

“—Whatever, that’s not important right now! We need to hurry up!!” Youngjae snapped at his friend, which had left the friend even more confused than before.

 

 “What the heck are you talking about??”

 

“Dude, you know what? That Choi Junhong guy’s ridiculous hacker group is after our asses as we speak!” Youngjae yelled and looked at Daehyun directly in the face, and his usually smiley eyes were trembling in utter fear.

 

_Holy crap, Youngjae is not playing around. What the eff is going on here?!_

 

“Yeah, you heard that right. Daehyun-ah, if you still want your head intact, we need to go. NOW!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally back with a new chapter, phew!! Also more words than usual woop *wipes sweat* 
> 
> Sorry for being super late with this one, I was adjusting to my new life in a new uni for the past few weeks, as well as making constant changes with the dialogues throughout the course of a fortnight or so. Honestly, this was probably one of the most challenging things I've ever written, but I think I learned quite a lot from it _(:3
> 
> Anyways, to anyone reading this, thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed the chapter! Stay healthy wherever you are and don't forget to take care of yourself every day! 'Till the next chapter, adieu~
> 
> (p.s. holla me at twitter @nielmato, looking for some BAP mutuals hshshs)


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